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GUIDE 



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NIAGARA FALLS 



AND ITS 

SOEISTEHY, 

INCLUDING 

khh THE POINTS OF INTEREST BOTH ON THE 
AMERICAN AND CANADIAN SIDE. 

GEOLOGY AND RECESSION" OF THE FALLS, 
• BY SIR CHARLES LYELL. 

EMBELLISHED WITH VIEWS OF THE PALLS AND SUSPENSION 

BRIDQE, FROM STEREOSCOPIC VIEWS ESPECIALXX 

FOR THIS WORK. 




A Eesidcnt at Niagara/or Tiuenty Years, Late Captain of 

the Maid of the Mist, Civil Engineer Author of 

Maps, Statistics and Huide Books of 

the Falls 



TO THE VISITOR 



-:o:- 



This is the only original, correct and reliable work in 
market. The author for several years has been person- 
ally and familiarly acquainted with all the points of 
interest in this " world's wonder," and great pains have 
been taken to make this work, in every respect, correct 
and worthy the attention of the tourist. The different 
routes and places are so arranged and minutely des- 
cribed, that the stranger cannot be misled or hesitate. 
These pages are given to the public with the belief that 
something of the kind is needed, inasmuch as works 
written by casual observers are either unnecessarily 
prolix upon some points, or not sufficiently clear and 
explicit upon others, to meet the wishes of the traveling 
public. This difficulty, it is believed, is entirely obvi- 
ated in the following pages. 

Follow the directions of this little work, and you 

can go to all points of interest on both sides of the 

river, without a mistake. 

The Author. 



^ 



'Ik 



\\ 



Entered according to Act of Congresa, in the year 1S(J8, 

Bt F. H. JOHNSON, 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Conrt of the United State; 

for the Northern Ui.-^tiict of New York. 



CONTENTS 



CHAPTER I. 

Q O A.T ISJL^LN D» 

Street leading to it, Toll Gate, Iron Bridge, Rapids, 
Second Iron Bridge, Goat Island Luna Island, Amer- 
ican Fall, Width, Height, Biddle Stairs, Sam Patch's 
Leap, Cave of the Winds, Horse Shoe Falls, Quantity 
of Water, The Tower, its height, Depth of water on 
the top of the Falls, Green appearance of the River, 
Three Sisters, Bathing place of the Hermit, Head of 
Goat Island, Indian Burying Ground. Visitors to Goat 
Island before any Bridges were built. First proprietor 
of the Falls, Poetry, Number of Acres, Distances, 
Goat Island Private Property, Best time to Visit it. 

CHAPTER 11. 

Spray, Rain Bows, View of the Falls at Night, Sunrise, 
Sunset, Roar of the Falls, First Impression of Stran- 
gers, Rise of the River, Fall of the River cannot be 
described, Winter Scene, First man who saw the Falls, 
Indian Tradition, Causalities, Avery on a Log, Visit to 
Goat Island by Moonlight, Lunar Bow. 

CHAPTER III. 

Nearest Route to Canada, Directions, Ferry House, Cars, 
Ferry Boats, No Accidents, Depth of the River, Gran- 
deur of the Scene, Tims in Crossing, Carriage Road 
up the Bank, Distance to Clifton House, Distance to 
Horseshoe Fall, Museum, Table Rock, Burning Spring, 
Battle Ground, Time via of the Ferry, Burning of the 
Steamer Caroline, Line batween the two Governments, 
Indian Offerinc: to llie Falls. 



CONTENTS. 



OHAPTEE IV. 

Suspension Bridge, Demensions, Height above the river, 
Distances to all Points of Interest, (Canada side,) 
Prices of Carriages, Hackmen. 

CHAPTFE V. 

Whirlpool, Height of River in the Center, Diameter of 
Whirlpool, Height of Banks, No perpendicular falls 
or Internal Outlet, Maid of the Mist going through 
the Whirlpool, Three men on Board, Width of the 
River, Depth of. Devil's Hole, Decoy of the Indians, 
Number of Men Perished. 

CHAPTER VI. 

Recession of the Falls by Professor Lyell, Gull Island 
Washed away. Health of the Falls, Hotels, Name 
Niagara, Meaning of Niagara, River between the two 
Lakes, Sources of Niagara River, Number of Lakes, 
Dimensions, One Hundred Rivers, Poetry. 



GUIDE TO 



]^i/qARA pALL^ ^ Y^C'N'^^ 



CHAPTER I. 

Goat Island. 
The street leading to it is between the Cata- 
ract and International Hotels, about one fourtli 
a mile distant. Three minutes' walk to the Toll 
Gate and Iron Bridge. Charges: for the whole 
day, fifty cents, or one dollar for the year. The 
bridge is about fifty rods above the Falls, and is 
an object of interest. The inquiry is not un fre- 
quently made. How was it ever constructed 
over such a tremendous rapid ? The first 
bridge was thrown across this angry stream m 
1817, near the grist mill, above the present 
bridge, with much hazard of life and great 
expense. It was carried away by the ice 
the ensuing spring. In 1818, another was 



6 GUIDE TO :n^iagara. falls 

constructed, where Bath Island Bridge now 
stands, by the proprietors of the island. 

A suitable pier was built at the water's edge ; 
long timbers was projected over this abutment 
the distance they wished to sink the next pier, 
loaded on the end next to the shore with stone, 
to prevent moving ; legs were framed through 
the ends of the projecting timbers, resting upon 
the rocky bottom, thus forming temporary 
piers until more substantial ones could be built. 
Rapids. 

The next thing that attracts the attention of 
the visitor, as he passes on his route to Goat 
Island, is the Eapids. These are grand and im- 
pressive; thousands, in the summer season, 
particularly when the sky is clear, stand upon 
this bridge, and gaze upon the angry flood as it 
rushes past them in all its wild and tumultuous 
fury, filling the mind with emotions of aAve and 
indescribable grandeur. Let the visitor look 
up the Rapids as far as the eye can extend ; the 
river appears very much like the ocean dashing 
upon the beach after a gale. 

From the head of Goat Island to the grand 
cataract, a distance of three-quarters of a mile. 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 7 

the river falls fifty-one feet. Ir increases in 
velocity from seven to thirty miles per hour, 
before it makes the final plunge. 

Chapin Island. 

This island is to the right of and oelow the 
bridge, within a few rods of the American 
Fall. A man by the name of Chapin, while 
working on the bridge, was thrown into the 
stream, and carried by the current on to this 
island. Mr, Joel E. Robinson rescued him with 
a skiff. Hundreds of ladies and gentlemen 
witnessed this bold and daring adventure, which 
few, at so much hazard of life, would have had 
the nerve to attempt. 

Bath Island contains about two acres. The 
largest stone building, to the right, is a paper 
mill, where is manufactured paper for the New 
York Tribune. Pass a second Iron Bridge to 

Goat Island. 
A good carriage road, Take to th® right. 
Five minutes' walk to the foot of the island ; 
descend a few safe and easy steps ; here the 
overwhelming grandeur of the American and 
Centre Fall, or Cave of the winds, bursts npon 



8 GUIDE TO NIAGARA PALLS. 

the astonished view, and is thought by thou- 
sands, to be unsurpassed by any other. In 
taking this route we get the less impressive 
view of the Falls, at first, and the more 
grand and imposing last, which, in the 
opinion of the author, gives the mind more 
time to appreciate the magnificent grandeur 
and awful sublimity of these mighty works. 
Cross a foot bridge, perfectly safe, to Luna 

Island ; it contains about three-fourths of an 
acre. 

Luna Island. 

It is called Luna Island, not because it re- 
sembles the moon, but from the circumstances 
of a Lui^"A Bow, being seen from this place 
more advantageously than from any other 
point. If the visitor's nerves are pretty steady 
he can stand Avithin one foot of the Falls, and 
see the angry stream dashing in all its fury 
upon the rocks below, impatient to try its 
power in making this fearful leap. 

It has often been remarked by strangers that 
this island trembles, which is undoubtedly true ; 
but the impression is somewhat heightened by 
a nervous temperament or imagination. 

It was at this point, after we pass the small 



GUIDE TO IS'^IAGAKA FALLS. 9 

foot-bridge, about twenty-five feet above the 
Falls, that young Miss Antoinette De Forest, 
of Buft'alo, aged eight years, by some unaccount- 
able casualty fell into the river, and Charles 
Addington, aged twenty-two, jumped in to save 
her, and they both went over the Falls together, 
June 21, 1849. 

The body of the girl was found, much muti- 
lated, the next day, and that of the young man 
floated four or five days afterward, when it was 
recovered. This was one of the most afflictive 
scenes that has occurred within our recollec- 
tion. The sheet of Avater before you is the 
American Falls. 

One-fourth of a mile wide ; perpendicular 
height, 1C4 feet. Eeturn by the same way ; 
pass up the river, two minutes' walk, to Biddle 
Stairs, the top of which is in the Cave of the 
Winds' dressing room. Number of steps, 132. 
At the bottom is 

Sam Patch's Leap. 
This celebrated person made two successful 
leaps, in the year 1829, ninety-seven feet per- 
pendicular, into the river below. Questions 
by the visitor. How was this done ? A ladder 



10 GUIDE TO iflAGARA PALLS. 

was raised, the bottom resting on the edge of 
the river, the top of the ladder enclining over 
the water, stayed by ropes to the trees on the 
bank, on the top of which was a small plat- 
form. He stood gazing upon the multitude, 
who had been attracted to the place by a man 
it was said going to jump over the Falls. He 
stepped off the platform ; went down feet fore- 
most 96 feet. Q. How deep is the river where 
he went in ? A. About fifty feet. Q. How 
deep did he go down ? A. It is dificult to an- 
swer this question correctly ; probably not 
more than fifteen or twenty feet. Q. How long 
did he remain under water ? A. Some said he 
was gone for good; others affirmed it was 
five minutes; but a gentleman, holding his 
watch, informed us it v/as just half a minute 
belore he rose. Q. What became of the 
fool-hardy fellow? A. He made a jump at 
Kochester, Genesee Falls, the same year, wiiich 
was his last. His body was never found. 

Cave of the Winds 
It is seen to the best advantage from below. 
If the wind is blowing down the river, or from 
the American shore, you can stand wdth perfect 



GUIDE TO i^IlAGARA FALLS. 11 

safety upon a large, flat rock, Avithin a few feet 
of the falling sheet, without inconvenience 
from the spray. In the afternoon, when the 
sun shines, there is always a splendid rainbow, 
between the sheet of water and the rock, within 
a few feet of you ; and this is the only place on 
the globe, as far as the author can learn from 
history, and from travelers, where a rainbow 
forming an entire circle can be seen. Two, and 
sometimes three, have been seen at once. 

AVidth of the cave is one hundred feet ; diam- 
eter, sixty ; height, one hundred. 

It is much visited both by ladies and gentle- 
men. The scenery is very fine. 

The impending rocks sometimes fill the 
visitor with alarm lest they might fall ; but 
they seldom fall in the summer season, and no 
accident has occurred since the year 1829. 

On returning, proceed up the river about 
sixty rods to a small house built by the pro- 
prietor of the island, for the purpose of rest. 
Descend the bank, and cross a small bridge to 
tlie tower. This is called 

Horse Shoe Tower, 
The Tower is on the west side of Goat 



12 GUIDE TO XIAGARA FALLS. 

Island, within two rods of the Falls, forty-five 
feet high, and two hundred feet above the river 
Lelow, surrounded near the top by a portico 
and an iron railing. This tower has been 
called by some Prospect Tower, and by others 
Terrapin Tower, but is generally and best 
known as Horse Shoe Tower. Visitors of a 
nervous temperameut, and especially old people, 
when stepping out upon the piazza, unfre- 
quently feel a kind of giddiness or tremor ; 
but on looking up or around upon the green 
foliage, the nerves generally become tranquil. 
We are then better prepared to appreciate the 
overwhelming grandeur of this magnificent 
scene. The view from this tower, in the 
opinion of the author, of the width of the 
river, the Eapids, the Horse Shoe Fall, and the 
angry, boiling deep below, is not surpassed by 
any other. 

The river below^, in its Avild, tumultuous fury, 
produces a perfect foam, sometimes called a river 
of milk. 

Horse Shoe Fall. 

This is the entire circle from Goat Island to 
the Canadian side of the river. Its width, by 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 13 

calculation, is 144 rods; perpendicular height, 
158 feet. It derived its name from its shape ; 
but it must have altered much since it was first 
named, as large masses of rocks in the neigh- 
borhood of the Horse Shoe Fall every year. 

This is sometimes called the Canada Fall, 
which is a mistake ; the Americans own one 
half of it. The line between the two govern- 
ments runs in the centre of the river, thronsjh 
the point of the Horse Shoe, where it looks so 
green, following the deepest channel, and 
through the centre of the lakes. 

What gives the Horse Shoe Fall, and the 
river below, that green appearance ? AYe can 
as>;ign no other reason than the depth. 
Quantity of Water- 

Professor Lyell says, fifteen hundred millions 
of cubic feet pass over the Falls every minute. 
Dr. Dwight, former President of Yale College, 
says, one hundred millions two hundred thou- 
sand tons pass over the Falls every hour. Jud. 
De Voux, in his "Traveler's own Book," says: 
five thousand eighty-four millions eighty-nine 
thousand eight hundred and fifty-three barrels 
descend in twenty-four hours; two hundred 



14 GUIDE TO N[AGAR.V FALLS. 

eleven millions eight hnndred thirty-six thou- 
sand eight hundred fifty-three every hour ; 
three million five hundred thirty thousand six 
hundred fourteen every minute; fifty-eight 
thousand three hundred forty-three every 
second. "I should think," says one " that the 
river would exhaust itsell." True ; when the 
upper lakes, with their vast tributaries, run dry, 
Niagara will be no more. Other estimates, by 
scientific gentlemen, have been made, arriving 
at nearly the same results. 

Depth of Water on the top of Horse Shoe 
Fall. 

It is estimated by Sir Charles Lyell, aud 
others to be twenty feet in the centre, or where 
the water looks so green. There is, however, a 
better data to ascertain this fact than all the 
calculations, however learned. The siiip Detroit, 
being condemned on the lake, was bought by a 
Company, !:aded with a live buffalo, bear, deer, 
fox, and other animals, and sent over the Falls 
in the year 1829. She was knocked to pieces 
in the Rapids, except half of her hull, which 
was filled with water. It drew eighteen feet, 
and passed over tlie point of the Horse Shoe 



GUIDE TO :N"IAGARA FALLS. 15 

without touching. Hundreds saw her make 
this fearful pUmge, and I have no doubt that 
the estimates are correct. This, then, gives a 
solid column of water on the top of the rock 
of at least twenty feet. 

The visitor, after spending what time he 
wishes on Horse Shoe Tower, will return to 
the bank. If he wislies to reach his hotel by 
the nearest route, without going round by the 
head of the island, he will take a small patii 
directly back of the building fronting Horse 
Shoe Tower. This is a pleasant walk leading 
to the bridge, and shortens the distance more 
tlian one half. But we will suppose he wishes 
to continue his rambles around Goat Island. 

The best point from which to get a correct 
view of the shape of the Horse Shoe Fall is 
about forty rods up the river, from the point 
where he ascends the bank from the tower, near 
a small stone monument, directly in his path, 
marked with a cross on the top, set by the sur- 
veyors, to ascerrain if the Falls recede. Let 
him step to the bank, and he will get one of the 
best views of the shape of the Horse Shoe then- 
is, on either side of the river. 



16 GUIDE TO KIAGARA FALLS. 

Three !::5isters. 
These islands are on the south-west side, and 
near the head of Goat Island. In the year 
1811, a man by the name of A. P. Allen, in 
attempting to cross the river in a skiff, from 
Chippewa, nnfortunately broke one of his oars ; 
but with a skill and coolness never surpassed, 
he managed to reach the outer island, and 
jumped ashore, Avhile his skiff darted on like 
an arrow over the Falls. Though saved from 
immediate death, yet his situation was perilous 
in the extreme : the hope of rescue was ex- 
tremely doubtful, and starvation v/as staring 
him in the face. Two nights and one day he 
remained upon this lonely spot. He struck a 
fire : the smoke wreathed in columns above the 
tree tops. Great numbers of our citizens 
assembled, and heard his cries for help. At 
length a rope was thrown across from one is- 
land to the other, and, by means of a skiff, the 
same intrepid Kobinson succeeded in bringing 
him to shore. These islands are connected by 
three bridges, spans of 65, 80 and 82 feet long. 

Bathing Place of Francis Abbot the 
Hermit. 

Tlie ])athing-placo of Francis A))bot is on 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 17 

the west side of Goat Island, the first perpendi- 
cular cascade after leaving Horse Shoe Tower, 
near the three islands called the Three Sisters. 
He was learned, gentlemanly, and accomplished, 
pleasing in address, hut could not be approach- 
ed by a stranger. He lived nearly twenty 
months entirely alone. He was drowned below 
the ferry, in the year 1831. His body was 
found at Fort Niagara, fourteen miles below, 
recognized, brought back, and sleeps in our 
burying-ground This lonely spot was resorted 
to by this singular individual generally at 
night. The thunder's terrific sound, the light-, 
uing's blaze, mingled with the roar of the cata- 
ract, was the element in which he delighted to 
breathe. Very little is known of his history. 

Head of G-oat Island. 
At this point, Xavy Island, near the Canada 
shore, to the right, containing three hundred 
and forty acres, the scene of the McKenzie 
War, in 1837-38, is in plain sight. It was oc- 
cupied by three or four hundred Americans, — 
a heterogeneous mass of all classes, without the 
discipline, or any efficient means to carry on 
war Chippewa, on the Canada shore, but a 



18 GUIDE TO i^IAGARA FALLS. 

short distance below*contained at the time four 
or five thousand British soldiers. The two 
governments took no active part in this hot- 
headed enterprizCj and it fell by its own weight. 
Grand Island is to the left, on the American 
side, resembling the main shore, containing 
Beventeen thousand two hundred and forty 
acres, purchased by M. M. Noah, and, according 
to his fanciful visions it was to be the future 
home of all the Jews on the globe. The visitor, 
in turning his eye to the right or left, will 
readily perceive how this island divides the 
river, the greater portion rolling to the Canada 
shore. It would be thought incredible that any 
person could have reached the island before a 
bridge was built; yet such is the fact. As 
early as 1765, several French officers were con- 
veyed to it by Indians in canoes, carefully drop- 
ping down the river between the dividing wa- 
ters, where the river for some little distance is 
calm ; and Peter 13. Porter, of Black Rock, 
with some other gentlemen, also made a trip to 
the island in a boat. They found but little 
trouble in descending, but their return was 
difficult and hazardous.* 

*Trees marked 1765 and 1769 were, until a few years past, clear- 
Ij to be seen. 



GUIDE TO :N"IAGARA FALLS. 10 

It was effected by shoving the boat with set- 
ting poles up the most shallow part of the cur- 
rent for half a mile before making for the shore. 
Falling into the current ^vithin a mile of the 
Falls must be fatal. Several accidents of this 
kind have happened, and the unfortunate per- 
sons, as far as the author can recollect, were 
hurried on to destruction. 

It is but a few years since an Indian, par- 
tially intoxicated, on attempting to cross the 
river in a canoe, was drawn into the Eapids. 
Finding all efforts to reach the shore unaA^ail- 
ing, he took a good horn of whiskey, lay down 
in the canoe, passed rapidly over the Falls, 
plunged into the yawning vortex below, and 
disappeared for ever. At this point, the Head 
of Goat Island, where we are now standing, it 
can be more satisfactorily explained why it was 
called Goat Island. A man by the name of 
Stedman, about seventy years since, put some 
goats upon the island, ^vhich remained there 
nearly two years. He reached the island, and 
returned the same way as the Indians and 
others had done. 

The old clearing you notice at the lelt is part 
of an Indian burying-ground, but of the tribe 



20 GUIDE TO KIAGAllA FALLS. 

to whom it belonged nothing definite is known. 
It is supposed by some they were the Iroquois. 



THE FIRST PEOPRIETOR OF NIAGARA FALLS. 

The white man has driven the Indian away, 

Far from Niagara's shore ; 
No more is he permitted to stay, 

And hear the loud cataract's roar. 

Tlic war-whoop that echoed o'er Niagara's isles, 

Has long since died away ; 
Far in those lonely wilds, 

Where the wild wolf devours his prey. 

In the distant wilds of the west, 

The red man sought for repose. 
Where the mind and body would be at rest, 

Away from the white men — his foes. 

To the home of his fathers the chieftain has gone, 
No more will he lead the brave to the battle, 

His warriors no longer around him will throng. 
Where the swift arrows fly and the armom* doth rattle. 

No more will his name produce terror and dread. 
Nor his arm be uplifted to strike the death-blow,; 

Low he sleeps in the dust where slumber the dead. 
While the plants of the valley over him grow. 

The tribe that once followed their chief to the fight- 
Like the mist of Niagara, how vanished away 1 
Far from the land of their birth they have taken their 
flight, 
The once noble, and valiant, and brave, where are 
they V 

The Author. 



GUIDE TO yiAGAKA FALLS. '21 

Iris, or Goat Island- 
Iris, or Goat Islaud, contains sixty-nine and 
a half acres ; is a fraction over a mile in cir- 
cnmference. and heavily timbered. Most of the 
smooth bark trees are marked with initials, 
bearing different dates. *• In l60o/' says Judge 
Porter, '*' there was a beech tree on the bank, 
near the Horse Shoe Fall, marked IT 70, ITU, 
and ITT'2." The names of these early travellers 
are not recollected. 

Xo sportsman is allowed to carry a gun on 
this island, as it would endanger the lives of 
those who are promenading through it. The 
cotta.ge near the bridge is the only dwelling on 
the island. The island affords a wild and de- 
lightful retreat: in the hottest days there is 
always a refreshing and invigorating breeze 
from the river. There are six bridges connected 
with this island, and one tower. 

Goat Island 

Is private property. The owners employ a 
police and an overseer, tliat the rules of good 
order and decorum are strictly observed. 

The best time to visit Goat Island, if the sun 
shines, is in the forenoon ; vou have the ad van- 



22 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

tage of a shade from the forest trees, the rain- 
bows below, and in some places but a few feet 
from you. 

Note. — No charge on the island, except at 
the Toll Gate and the Cave of the Winds. 



CHAPTER II. 

Spray. 

Spray, like the smoke of a burning moun- 
tain, sometimes rises into the sky, forming dark, 
heavy clouds, tinged with the refulgent rays of 
the rising and setting sun, which have been 
seen, says Judge Porter, more than one hundred 
miles. 

This depends entirely upon local causes. If 

the wind is blowing down the river, the view 

from the Horse Shoe Fall and the American 

Falls is not in the least obstructed ; but if it 

blows hard up, or from the Canada shore, some 

inconvenience, occasionally, is experienced in 

approaching very near the Falls, on account of 

the spray. 

Rainbows. 

There are two. One is always seen in the 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 23 

day-time, wlien the sun shines ; the other at 
night, called the Lunar Bow. The latter is 
only beheld once a month, when the moon is 
at the full, and sufficiently high in the heavens, 
and the sky clear. And Niagara, as far as the 
author can learn from travellers and from 
history, is the only place on the globe where a 
rainbow at night can be seen with distinctness. 
At all events the Lunar Bow is peculiar to this 
place. 

View of the Falls at Night. 

An evening view has a very different effect 
upon the mind of the beholder from that of a 
view in the day time. The moonbeams play- 
ing upon the agitated waters; the spray, like 
the smoke of a volcano, rising into the sky; 
the endless roar of the cataract, mingled 
with the heart's deepest impressions, give such 
indescribable sublimity and grandeur, that lan- 
guage is but a poor vehicle to convey the im- 
pressions we feel. 

View of the Falls at Sunrise. 

This view is thought by thousands to have 
no rival in grandeur, sublimity and interest. 
Every point of time, however, in getting a view 



24 GUIDE TO NIAGARA. FALLS. 

is different, and has its different effect upon tlie 
beholder. 

View of the Falls at Sunset. 
When the sun has rolled onward in his 
chariot of fire, and thrown his last rays upon 
Niagara, bidding adieu for the night to the 
grandeur of the scene that so much in power 
resembles himself, the view is perfectly inde- 
scribable. 

Roar of the Falls. 

This depends much upon the wind, and the 
state of the atmosphere. Sometimes every door 
and window, the least ajar, for a mile around, 
will tremble, and the roar may be heard from 
fifteen to twenty-five miles. At other times our 
citizens would scarcely know that there were 
Falls in the neighborhood. In a few instances 
the roar has been heard at Toronto, a distance 
of forty-four miles . 

First Impression of Strangers. 
At first sight, strangers are sometimes disap- 
pointed : either their expectations have been 
raised too high, or the sublimity, grandeur and 
magnificence of the scene far surpass every 
thing they could possibly have anticipated. 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 25 

The second view is frequently more impres- 
sive than the first. The longer the visitor 
tarries, the more he enjoys and appreciates; 
the impression is indelibly stamped upon his 
memory, and for years infixed there, as with 
the imprint of a sunbeam. 

The Falls, it is true, when seen from above, 

do not appear more than fifty or sixty feat 

high ; but let the visitor go below, if he would 

get a correct impression of this stupendous 

work. 

Rise of the River. 

Those causes which swell other rivers have 
no efiect upon this. It never rises unless the 
wind has been blowing down Lake Erie from a 
westerly direction. S. Ware, Esq. , who kept 
the ferry for seventeen years, says, " One foot 
on the top of the Falls will, by actual measure- 
ment, raise it seventeen and a half feet below." 
This is attributable to the river being pent up 
in a very narrow pass at the Suspension Bridge, 
and not being able to find its way out as fast 
as it accumulates above. 

Fall of the River. 
From Lake Erie to Lake Ontario (30 miles), 



:ib GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

339 feet; from Lake Erie to the head of Goat 
Island (22 miles), 25 feet; from the head of 
Goat Island to the Main Fall (half a mile), 50 
feet ; perpendicular height of the American 
Fall, 164 feet; on the Canada side, 158 feet ; 
from the Falls to the Whirlpool (2^- miles), 64 
feet; from the Whirlpool to Lake Ontario 
(11 miles), 25 feet. Total, in 36 miles, between 
the two Lakes, 330 feet. 

Depth of the River below the Horse Falls. 

This has neyer been ascertained. Engineers 
and others have, at different times, attempted 
to sound it,but owing to the strong and irregu- 
lar undercurrents, no definite reports could be 
made. 

The Falls cannot be Described. 

There is too much sublimity, majesty, and 
overwhelming grandeur for finite minds to 
comprehend or explain. No language is ade- 
quate to give to the strang.T a correct idea of 
these stupendous works of the Almighty. And 
they have always appeared to the author like 

the hand of the Deity stretched out for his 
creatures to look at. "Lo, these are parts of 
his ways;" "But the thunder of his power 
who can understand ? " 




O 5 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 27 

"Winter Scene. 
It is thought by many, who have visited the 
Falls at this season, that it far surpasses that of 
summer. The icicles, in the shape of inverted 
cones, hanging from the high banks; the dazz- 
ling splendor of an effulgent sun darting his 
fiery beams upon them ; the frozen spray, clo- 
thing the trees in its silvery robe ; the roar 
of the ice, as it rushed onward to try the fear- 
ful leap; the ceaseless thunder of the cataract; 
the bow of promise smiling serenely upon the 
angry Hood; the enchained river within its icy 
embrace, struggling like some monster of the 
deep to be free, — all combiiie to render the 
scene awfully grand and terrific. No language 
is adequate to give a correct impression; it 
must be seen before it can be appreciated. 

The First Man who Saw the Falls 
The first white man who saw the Falls, as 
far as we have any authentic record, was Father 
Hennepin, Jesuit missionary, sent out from the 
French among the Indians, as early as the year 
1G78, 192 years since. His descriptions were 
visionary and exceedingly exaggerated. He 
thought the falls six or seven hundred feet hisfh 



38 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

and that four persons could walk abreast under 
the sheet of Avater without any other inconve- 
nience than a slight sprinkUng from the spray. 
But we would not attribute this wild and fanci- 
ful description to a want of candor, or an in- 
tention to deceive. The fact probably was, he 
had no means of measuring its height, and un- 
doubtedly got his account from tlie Indians, 
whio^i very likely would be incorrect. 
Indian Tradition. 
The Indians, it is said, in Judge de Veaux's 
works, have a tradition that two human beings, 
yearly, will be sacrificed to the Great Spirit of 
these waters. Whether any reliance ^can be 
placed upon the tradition of the Indians or not, 
it is nevertheless true that almost every year 
has proved fatal to some one. The following 
instances can be mentioned. 
Casualties. 
Dr. Hungerford, of West Troy, was killed by 
a rock falling upon him, between Biddle Stairs 
and the Cave of the winds, May 27th, 1839. 

John York is supposed to have gone over 
the Falls, as pieces of his boat and part of his 
loading were picked up below, 28th Nov., 1841. 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 29 

William Kennody was in the boat with him, 
and found dead on Grass Island, just above the 
Rapids 

J. H. Thompson, of Philadelphia, was washed 
off a rock below the Falls, under the great sheet 
of water, by leaving the guide, and venturing 
too far upon places of danger. August 16, 1844. 

Miss Martha K. Rugg, from Lancaster, near 
Boston, Mass , while picking a flower, fell over 
the bank, just below Barnett's Museum, 
(Canada side), one hundred and fifteen feet. 
August 23, 1811. She lived about three hours 
afterwards. 

Charles Smart, from Philadelphia, fell about 
f>rty (eetfroma rock in the Cave of the Winds, 
August 31, 1816. Killed instantly. 

John Murphy, aged fourteen years, son of a 
widow lady of our village, attempting to cross 
the river in a canoe, about a mile above the 
Falls, was drawn into the current, and went over, 
June 13, 1817. His body was never found. 

A son of Mr. White, aged five years, and his 
sister about a year and a half older, were play- 
ing in a canoe ; it floated out into the stream. 
The agonized mother beheld this heart-rending 
scene • she rushed into the river nearly up to 



30 GUIDE TO ^lAGAKA FALLS. 

her neck, — rescued t le girl ; the boy went over. 
He was last seen si! :'mg in the bottom of the 
canoe, holding on to acii ude with his hands. 
Jnly 9, 1848. His body was never found. 

A gentleman, from Buffalo, supposed to be 
on an excursion shooting ducks; his boat was 
drawn into the Rapids, above the grist mill ; 
seen by several of cur citizens to pass under 
the bridge; heard- to exclaim — "Can I be 
saved ? " His boat, with the velocity of liglit- 
ning, passed on; dashed against a rock nearly 
opposite the chair factory ; he was throAvn out ; 
went over feet foremost near the American 
shore, August 25, 1848. His body was never 
found. 

A Mrs. Miller cut her shawl in pieces, tied 
them together, and hung them over the bridge 
leading to G-oat Island, intending, doubtless, to 
induce the belief that she had let herself down 
into the angry fl)od, and had gone over the 
Falls. Very few of our citizens believed it, as 
there was too much pains taken for the purpose 
of committing suicide. It was all a farce, as 
she was heard from at Syracuse, and other 
places, a few days after. Some love affair oc- 
casion ed this wild freak. Her father, a very 



GUIDE TO iHl;-\G.VRA FALL. 31 

respectable lawyer, died so[.)n afterwards, it was 
thought of a broken hear;;, 

A gentleman from i'ro^v, N. Y., in the winter 
of 1852, while passing over the bridge to the 
Tower, fell into the river, rwas instantly carried 
to the verge of the precipice, and lodged between 
two rocks. Mr. Isaac Davy rescued him, by 
throwing some lines in ^he direction ; he had 
just sufficient strength left to tie them around 
his body, and he drew him to the bridge, whence 
he was taken to the Falls Hotel. He remained 
speechless for several hours, but finally recov- 
ered. 

Avery on the Log. 

On the morning of July 19, 1853, a great 
excitement was created by the discovery of a 
man on a log in the Eapids, midway between the 
main shore and Bath Island, and about thirty 
rods below the bridge which leads to the toll- 
gate on the island. The rock against which 
the log had lodged can be seen from the bridge, 
or from the bank. The circumstances, as near 
as are known, of the way he got there, are these. 
This man, Avery, and another man, being in 
the employ of Mr. Brown, boating sand above 



32 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

the Falls about two miles, got into a boat at ten 
o'clock at night to take a pleasure sail. The 
next morning Mr. Averj was discovered on the 
log above mentioned, which being reported 
called thousands of people to the spot to see the 
unfortunate man and to do what they could to 
rescue him.. In the first place a small boat was 
let down; but it filled witji v/ater, and sunk 
before it reached him. By this time a life-boat 
from Buffalo had reached the spot, and was low- 
ered into the stream, which reached the log he 
was on, passed by above it, capsized, and sunk, 
which was the last of that. Next, a small boat 
was let down, which reached the spot all right, 
but the rope got entangled under the log, and 
could not be got loose; so that boat was use- 
less. Another plan was tried : a raft was let 
down to him all right, and he got on it, and the 
raft was moved toward Bath Island as far as it 
could be, but the ropes soon got entangled in 
the rocks, and the raft stuck fast. Then 
another boat was let down to him, to take him 
from the rafi; ; but as the boat reached the raft, 
the water dashed the boat agaiust the bow of 
the raft, which gave it a sudden jog, and Avery, 
not using the means that were prepared for his 



GUIDE TO NIAG.VRA FALL. 33 

safety, viz., ropes for him to hold oii to, or tie 
himself with, stood erect on the stern of the 
raft ; and as the boat struck, he fell off back- 
ward, and the rax)id water carried him over the 
Falls, at about six o'clock, p. 3I., at which time 
the crowd (being about three thousand in num- 
ber) left the spot with slow and solemn steps 
for their homes. It was an awful scene. 

On Friday, Septeml)er 2-i, 1860, a terrible ac- 
cident occurred at the Falls. A party from 
Provideuce, R. I., consisting of a Mr. Tilling- 
hast and wife, Mr. Fisher, Mrs. Smith, and 
Miss Mary Ann Ballou, were in a carriage go- 
ing down the roadway leading to the ferry land- 
ing, on the Canada side, Avhen some portion of 
the harness gave way on one of the horses. 
Tlie result was that the carriage was thrown 
over the precipice. Mr. Tillinghast and the 
driver sprang from the carriage in time to save 
themselves, but the ladies were carried over, 
and fell a distance of forty or fifty feet. Mrs. 
Smith was found to have been killed instantly, 
by a blow on the head. Mrs. Tillinghast was 
cut and bruised about the head, and was other- 
wise injured. Mrs. Fisher had one wrist frac- 
tured, and suffered contusions on various parts 



34 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

of the body. Miss Ballon was taken up for 
dead, but finally recovered consciousness, and 
ifc is thought will recover. 

J. Prince jumped off the old Suspension 
Bridge, December 8, 1869. Body never found. 

A Visit to G-oat Island by Moonlight. 

Thousands, in the summer season, when the 

the weather is fair, promenade through the 

island at night : it is a delightful treat. The 

carriage-road is fine ; the dark forest in all its 

native grandeur is around them ; not a breath 

moves the surrounding foliage ; the moon, 

pouring a flood of mellow light through the 

opening of the trees, the silence of death is 

only interrupted hy Niagara's ceaseless roar, 

filling the mind with emotions of awe, grandeur 

and sublimity, which it is impossible to describe. 

It must be witnessed before it can be app^-e- 

ciated. 

The Lunar irow 

Can only be seen about once a month, or when 
the moon is within two or three days previous 
or after its fall. The reason is, there is not 
light enough to form the bow. The best points 
from which to view this grand spectacle are at 



GUIDE TO ^'IAGARA FALLS. 35 

tlie foot of Goat Islaud, on Luna Island, and 
Horse Shoe Tower. If the sky is clear, the 
wind i-ight, and the atmosphere favorable, an 
entire arch can be seen. The author has fre- 
quently seen a whole arch, with three colors 
very distinct ; and we are inclined to believe, as 
far as Ave can learn from travellers, that this is 
the only place on the globe where a rainbow at 
night, in the form of an arch, can be seen at 
all. It is indescribably grand, worthy the at- 
tention of the tourist, and will amply repay 
him for a trip to the island to behold. "Thou 
hast told us right," said a party of Friends, from 
Philadelphia, to the author : •' this sight alone 
is sufficient to pay us for a journey to the 
Falls." The mind takes a mild and sublime 
range, but its emotions cannot be expressed. 



CHAPTER III. 

Nearest Route to Canada. 

On landing from the cars, pass through the 

Depot, turn to the right. From Cataract 

House, turn to the left, pass down the river. 

From the International, take the lefr. Five 



36 GUIDE TO KIAGAKA FALLS. 

minutes walk on either of the above routes 
brings you to the Ferry house — 290 steps. Cars 
worked by water power descend the bank on an 
inclined plain of 33 degrees. Charges for cross- 
ing and returning, 50 cents. The Ferry Boats 
from above appear small and insecure, but are 
perfectly safe ; will carry twenty-five or thirty 
persons. Not a single accident has occured in 
forty years. The depth of the river from actual 
soundings is 180 feet. Nothing can equal the 
sublimity and overwhelming grandeur of the 
scene. The American, and Horse Shoe Falls, 
Goat Island — with its dark, waving forest, the 
opposite bound shore, the brilliant hues of the 
rainbow, overpowers, dazzles and bewilders the 
imagination. The American Fall appears t j 
be tumbling out of the clouds, or like a moun- 
tain of snow in a Avhirlwind. The time in 
crossing the Ferry is ten minutes. Take the 
only carriage-road up the bank, one-fourth of 
a mile. The large building to the right is the 
Clifton House ; one of the first class houses in 
Canada, or in the United States. Turn to the 
left, one-third of a mile brings you to the Horse 
Shoe Fall. Language is but a poor vehicle to 
express the emotions we feel while beholding 



GUIDE TO KIAGARA FALLS. o7 

tlie grandeur and awful majesty of Uie works 
of the Almighty. It must be seen to be appre- 
ciated. The large building, a few rods below 
the Falls, is a Museum, the only place on the 
Canada side where dresses and a Guide, can be 
procured to go under the Falls. 

Table Rock 
Is on the Canada side, near the great Horse 
Shoe Fall, and the terminus of the carriage 
road in this direction. It was formerly about 
fifteen rods long, and three Avide, and projected 
over the precipice from fifty to sixty feet. 
Thousands of the most timid have stood upon 
this giddy eminence with perfect safety, and 
gazed upon the resplendent grandeur of this 
this enchanting, bewildering scene. While 
contemplating it the mind is lost, and sinks 
back upon itself amid the immensity of God's 
works. Two large portions of Table Rock 
have fallen withiu a few years, but have de- 
tracted but little from this grand view. 

Fall of Table Rock. 
On the 26th of June, 1850, our citizens were 
startled with the report that Table Rock had 
fallen. Many of us instantly repaired to the 



38 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

place, to witness for ourselves an event we had 
long expected. AVhat a chasm ! What a tre- 
mendous crash. The rocks heaved, the earth 
trembled. A mass of rock, nearly two hundred 
feet long, sixty wide, and one hundred feet 
thick, fell into the river, and almost every par- 
ticle disappeared from sight. The noise pro- 
duced by this falling rock was something like 
the rumbling of an earthquake. It w^as heard 
four or five miles on each side of the river. 
Fortunately, no lives were lost, though some 
forty or fifty persons were standing upon the 
rock but a few moments before. In 1818, a 
portion of Table Kock fell. In 1828, a large 
mass fell from the centre of the Horse Shoe 
Falls. Another mass fell connected w4th Table 
Rock, and extending under the sheet of water 
toward the point of the Horse Shoe, about one 
hundred and fifty feet long, fifty feet wide, and 
one hundred feet deep, carrying with it a canal 
boat that had lain on the ^■erge of the Horse 
Shoe for months. 

Burning Spring, 

This Spring is situated two miles above the 
Falls, on the Canada side, near the water's edge. 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 39 

It is the ciirbonated sulphuretted hydrogen gas 
that burns. Touched with a match, it gives 
out a brilliant flame, rising two or three feet 
high. Many are very much interested, and to 
those who have never seen anything of the 
kind, it is an object of a good deal of interest. 

Lundy's Lane Battle-Field. 

Lundy's Lane is a mile and a half west of the 
Falls, on the Canada side. The battle, in its 
hottest fury, was fought principally in the 
night, with the bayonet; Gen. Peter B. Porter 
commanding the volunteers ; Generals Brown 
and Scott wounded ; Eiall and Drummond 
(British Generals) wounded and taken prisoners. 
This, it is said, was the severest battle ever 
fought on this continent. The British had in 
killed and wounded, eight hundred and twenty- 
seven ; the Americans eight hundred and sixty. 
It was a drawn game, — both parties claiming 
the victory. July 25, 1814, 

The above is taken from General Brown's 
official report to the Secretary of war. This 
is somtimes blended with the Chippewa battle, 
but it is a mistake. Chippewa battle was fought 
near the Burning Spring, July 5, 1814. 



40 GUIDE TO KIAGAKA FALLS. 

The visitor, by way of the Ferry, can cross 
over to Table Rock, and return to his hotel, 
in one hour. 

'Note. — If you purchase any goods on the 
Canada side, a duty of thirty-three per cent, 
will be required on them. A few remarks fur- 
ther, before we pass to the Suspension Bridge. 

Burning of the Steamer " Caroline." 

If the ajopearance of a ship on fire at sea, at 
night, in a thunder-storm, is grand and terrific, 
no less so was that of the steamboat " Caroline," 
in flames, as she was loosed from her moorings 
at the old landiug, near Fort Schlosser, and 
toAved out into the middle of the river, by the 
command of Colonel McNab, a British officer. 
Here she was abandoned and left to her fate. 
The night was intensely dark. She moved stead- 
ily on ; a broad sheet of lurid flames shot high in- 
to the heavens, illuminating the western clouds 
Avith its red glare ; rockets w^ere ascending from 
the Canada shore, expressive of the success of 
the expedition. A universal shout rings out 
upon the night air, from the party who have 
just left the doomed boat. She enters the 
Rapids, at the head of Goat Island, nearest the 



GUIDE TO N^IAGARA FALLS. 41 

Canada shore, careens over, rights, passes on, 
like a flaming meteor, to lier final doom. 
Striking upon Gull Island, she swings aronnd, 
awfully shattered by the conflict, the flames 
rolling up, for a moment, as if not alarmed by 
Niagara's roar, but determined not to be en- 
circled within its cold embrace, or to be beaten 
by its mighty and terrific power. The Avar of 
the elements continues for an instant; the 
" Caroline " has disappeared, leaving " not a 
wreck behind ; " and Niagara is victor, pro- 
claiming to the world that its power is not 
lessened by the strife of men, or any casual 
floating substance upon its bosom. Very few, 
however, beheld this gnmd spectacle, as it was 
during the night, and most of the inhabitants 
had retired from the frontiers. It is not our 
purpose at this time, to enter into the minutiae 
of this affair ; suffice it to say the boat was 
charged by the British with aiding the refugees, 
by carrying provisions and arms to Navy Is- 
land, Avhich doubtless Avas true. This specifi- 
cation Avas brought before the court by the 
British consul, at the trial of McLeod, for the 
murder of a gentleman from Buffalo, Avho Avas 



42 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

shot on board the " Caroline." It will be re- 
collected McLeod was acquitted. 

The fragments of the boat that lodged on 
Gull Island remained there till next spring. 
What was left of her after passing the Eapids 
went over the point of the Horse Shoe Fall. 
No person, we believe, was on board. Decem- 
ber 29, 1839. 

The Line between the two Governments, 
As agreed upon by the commissioners (General 
P. B. Porter was one, on behalf of the United 
States' Government), is in the centre of the 
river, or deepest channel, passing through the 
point of the Horse Shoe, through the centre of 
Lake Erie, Lake Superior, and so on to the 
northean boundaries of the United States. 
Indian Offering to the Falls. 
In the month of August, 1851, the writer ac- 
companied a party of Indians from the north- 
west wilds of Minnesota (on their way to Wash- 
ington) to the foot of the American Falls. The 
wind was fiivorable, and we approached within 
a few feet of the falling sheet. They gazed in 
rapt wonder on the mighty flood, as it rolled 
its angry waters and fell upon the resounding 



GL'iDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 43 

rocks below. For along tiiiic exory muscle of 
their countcDances indicated a religious awe, 
and their thoughts appeared to be communing 
with some superior power. At a signal from 
the chief they drew a small red pipe from their 
girdle, and, with a great deal of solemn 
gesturing each threw his pipe under tlie Falls. 
This, I was told by the interpreter, was a re- 
ligious offering to the Great Spirit, that he 
would be propitious to them on their journey, 
and return them in safety to their homes. We 
then conducted them to the Tower, on the west 
side of Goat Island. They were induced, by some 
ladies and gentlemen present, to give their views 
of what they saw. They did so, in the following 
words, as fur as their language could be inter- 
preted. 

"Brothers," said the chief, "we live in the 
woods, far towards the setting sun. Our fathers 
once owned these lands and this river; they 
have told us of these Falls, but now we see them. 
Brothers, you are great, but you cannot stop 
this water; you cannot put your hand on its 
mouth and make it still. Yonder," pointing to 
the clouds, "is the Great Spirit ; he made these, 
and this is his work ; and yonder," pointing to 



44 GUIDE TO Is^lAGARA FALLS. 

the rainbow (which at the time shone most bril- 
liantly), "we see his face, — Ave see him smile. 
We shall tell onr children what we have seen. 
Brothers, our hearts are glad that we turned 
aside from our path to see this great wonder. — 
Brothers, we thank the wiiites for our good 
treatment." The emotions of lied Jacket, the 
celebrated Indian chief, while visiting the Falls 
some years since, was of a very different charac- 
ter. He admired the grandeur of nature's work, 
but not with that religious awe and devotional 
feeling with which those wild untutored sons of 
the forest mentioned above were inspired. Envy 
and jealousy rankled in his bosom against the 
white man, the destroyer of his race. He saw, 
at a glance, the superiority of the white man 
over the red man of the woods, and he hated him 
because he had not the power to become his 
equal. 



CHAPTER IV. 

Suspension Bridge 

is two miles below the Falls, is eight hundred 
feet long, and extends two hundred and tliirty 



GL'IDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 



45 



feet above one of the maddest streams on the 
globe. It is owned by a stock-company, and 
cost about five hundred thousand dollars. It 
was built under the superintendence of J. A. 
Roebling. The cars of the Great Western Rail- 
road pass over the bridge to connect with the 
New York Central. 

The following are the dimensions : — 

Longth of span from centre to centre of towers 823 ft. 

llei^iiit of tower above rock on tlie Amer. side 88 " 

'' " - '' '' " Canada side 7S '^| 

•' " " " flo(n' of railway 60" 

" " track " water 258 " 

Number of wire cables 4 _ 

Diameter of eacli cable lO^m 

Number of No. i) wires in eacli cable 3650 

Ultimate aggregate strength of cables tons 12,400 

Weight of superstracture " 800 

" " and maxi'm ids. " l"-^50 
Maximum weight the cable and stays will 

support *' 7309 

Note.— The wires were first got across by means of a 
kite. 

A New Suspension Bridge. 
A new Suspension Bridge, now finished, at a 
cost of one hundred and seventy-five thousand 
dollars, designed for foot passengers and car- 
riages ; this Bridge is about sixty rods below the 
Ferry, a good path through the Grove, on the 
bank of the rivei. If at the Cataract House, 



46 GUIDE TO ISriAGAR.V FALLS. 

pass in front of the International, tarn to the 

left, five minutes walk brings you to this bridge, 

(via) of the Ferry. 

The following are its dimensions . — 

The span from rock to rock is 1190 feet. 
The span between the centres of the towers is 1268 feet. 
The length of the suspended phitf orm is 1240 feet. 
Height above the surface of the river 190 feet. 
The length of the central portion, resting on cables, 
is 635 feet. 

The length of the platform supported by stays and 
cables is 605 feet. 

The deflection of cables at centre — in Summer 91 and 
in Winter 88 feet, making a rise and fall of the bridge 
from changes of temperature three feet. 

The length of the cables between the points of suspen- 
sion in medium temperature is 1286 feet. 

The length of cables between anchorages is 1828 feet. 

Length of cables and anchors 1888 feet. Height of 
towers above rock on Canada side, 105 feet, and on 
American side 100 feet. Base of towers 28 feet square, 
and top four feet square. 

The bridge is supported by two cables, composed of 
seven wire ropes each, which contain respectively 133 
No. 9 Wires, 

The weight of these wire ropes per lineal foot is 9 
pounds, and the diameter of the cable is seven inches. 

The total weight of the suspended portions of the ca- 
bles is 82 tons net. 

There are forty-eight stays weighing fifteen tons net. 

There are fifty-six guys connected with the bridge. 

The aggregate breaking strain of the cable is 1680 
tons net, and that of the stays 1320 tons net, making a 
total supporting strength of the cables and stays 3000 
tons. 

The number of suspenders used is 480, with an ag- 
gregate strength of 4800 tons. 

Tiie weight of the suspended roadway, including; 



Guide to xiagara falls. 47 

weight of cables and stays, is 250 tons. The cfdinary 
worii:ing load is 50 tons, and the maximum load is 100 
tons ; permanent and transitory load 350 tons. 

The towers when completed will be covered with 
wood and corrugated iron, and in point of architectural 
beauty will be highly ornate, imparting to each terminus 
of the bridge an air of elegance and substantiability, and 
rendering the whole an attraction among the beauties 
and wonders of that interesting locality. 

Distance from your hotel (American side,) 

to Table Rock, Burning Spring, Battle Ground, 

via the old Suspension Bridge and return is a 

fraction over fourteen miles, and by the new 

10 miles. 



CHAPTER V. 

The Whirlpool Rapids. 
The best place to get a view of this wild tu- 
multuous scene, is about a quarter of a mile 
below the suspension Bridge. Let the visitor 
by all means, descend to the water's edge at 
this point. This is the place where the Maid of 
the Mist was overwhelmed and lost her smoke 
stack. But one opinion filled the mind, she is 

Lost! 

The Whirlpool. 
On the American side, is three miles below 
the Falls, and is visited on account of the wild 
and magnificent grandeur of its scenery. The 



48 GUIDE TO KIAGARA FALLS. 

river here tuns abruptly to the right, forming 
an elbow, and as the waters rush against 
the opposite banks, a whirlpool is formed, in 
which logs and other bodies have been known 
to float for many days before finding their way 
out. 

The river, in the centre, is estimated by the 
Engineers, to be eleven feet and a half higher 
than on each shore, and the visitor often won- 
ders how the Maid of the Mist ever j)'issed 
down here and lived, yet such is the fact. There 
is no perpendicular fall or external outlet at 
the Whirlpool. The distance across it is one 
thousand feet; perpendicular height of the 
banks, three hundred and fifty feet. 

" Maid of the Mist " going through the Whirlpool. 

iShe left her moorings, about a quarter of a 
mile above the old Suspension Bridge, June 15, 
1861, and swung boldly out into the river, to 
try one ot the most perilous voyages ever made. 
She shot forward like an arrow of light, bowed 
gracefully to the multitude on the bridge, and 
with the volocity of lightning passed on to meet 
her doom. Many beheld this hazardous, daring 
alventure, expecting every instant she would be 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 



49 



daslied to pieces and disappear forever. Amaze- 
ment thrilled every heart, and it appeared as if 
no power short of Omnipotence could save her. 
" There 1 there !" was the suppressed exclama- 
tion that escaped the lips of all. " She careens 
over ! She is lost ! She is lost /" But, guided 
by an eye that dimmed not, and a hand that 
never trembled, she was piloted through those 
maddened waters by the intrepid Robinson in 
perfect safety, and is now performing less hazard- 
ous voyages on the St. Lawrence. 

She is the only craft, so far as we know, that 
ever made this fearful trip and lived. Though 
our intrepid hero had performed many hazard- 
ous exploits in saving the lives of persons who 
had fallen into the river, yet this last act, in 
taking the Maid of the Mist through the Whirl- 
pool, is the climax of all his adventures. The 
boat lost her smoke stack, but otherwise received 
no injury, bein§ very strongly built. 

Three men were on board. Pilot, Engineer, 
and Fireman, all safe. 

Width of the River. 
Two and a half miles above the Falls the river 
is three miles mide, but at the outlet of the 



50 GUIDE TO :n"iagaka falls. 

Whirlpool, it is only twenty-five rods. A man 
by the name of Whitmore threw a stone across 
from one Kingdom to the other. 

Depth of the Hiver at the Whirlpool. 

It is impossible to ascertain, as no soundings 
can be made. It ie thought, by some, to be five 
or six hundred feet deep. 

Devil's Hole, or Bloody Run. 

Is three and a half miles below the Falls, on 
the American side. During the French War, 
in 1765, a detachment of the British Army, 
while retreating from Fort Schlosser, were 
decoyed into an ambush of French and Indians. 
The yell of the savages as it rang out upon the 
midnight air, was the first indication of their 
attack. Baggage wagons, officers, men, women 
and children, were pushed over the bank into 
the awful chasm below. The number of those 
who perished Vv^as 250. Only two persons es- 
caped, a drummer, who was caught in a branch 
of a tree in his descent, and a man by the name 
of Steadman, (the same who put the goats upon 
Goat Island. 



GUIDE TO XIAG.VRA FALLS. 51 

CHAPTER VI. 



GEOLOGY 

A N D 

RECESSION OF THE FALLS 



Sir Charles Lyell says: "The first feature 
which strikes you in this region is the escarp- 
luont, or line of inland cliffs, one of which runs 
to a great distance east from Queenston. On 
tlie Canada side it has a height of more than three 
hundred feet. The first question which occurs 
when we consider the nature of the country, is, 
how cliffs were produced? why do we so sud- 
denly step from this range to the gypseous marls, 
and then so suddenly to the subjacent shale and 
sandstone ? We have similar lines of escarp- 
ment in all countries, especially where the rock 
is limestone ; and they are considered to be an- 
cient sea cliffs, which have become more gentle 
in their slope as the country has emerged from 
the ocean. You may perhaps ask if the Ontario 
may not once have stood at a higher level, and 



62 GUIDE TO ^'lAGARA FALLS. 

the clifls been produced by its action, instead of 
that of the ocean. Some of you may have pass- 
ed along the ridge road, as it is called, — that 
rem arkable Ijank of sand wliich exists parallel, 
or nearly so, to the present borders of Lake 
Ontario, at a considerable height above it. I 
perfectly agree with the general opinion res- 
pecting this, that it was the ancient boundary 
of Lake Ontario. In some parts of it fresh- 
water shells have been found. You cannot ex- 
plain the escarpment by the aid of the action 
of the lake, for it extends farther, and not in 
the same direction. When the land emerged 
gradually from the sea, as it is now doing, the 
sea would naturally create those sea-cliffs, and 
during the upheaval they would of course be- 
come inland. In Europe, proofs that limestone 
rocks have been washed away are abundant. In 
Greese, in the Morea, this is especially conspic- 
uous. We have there three limestones, one 
above the other, at various distances from the 
sea. Along the line you may see literal caves 
worn out by the action of the waves. The ac- 
tion of the salt spray, which has effected a sort 
of chemical disposition, is easily to be observed. 
So completely is this the case with each of these 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 53 

lines, that you cannot doubt for an instant that 
here is a series of inland cliffs ; and this phe- 
nomenon being so certain in the Morea, leads 
us by analogy to infer that these escarpments of 
the district were produced by a similar cause. 

*' It is not disputed that there is some change 
going on at the Falls, even now. There occurs, 
as we know, occasionally a falling down of frag- 
ments of rock, as may be seen at Goat Island. 
The shale at the bottom is destroyed in conse- 
quence of the action of the spray and frost ; the 
limestone, being thus undermined, falls down ; 
and it has been believed that in this way there 
has been a recession of about fifty yards in 
about forty years, but this is now generally ad- 
mitted to have been overstated. There is at 
least a probable recession of about one foot 
every year, though part of the fall may go back 
faster than this ; yet, if you regard the whole 
river, even this probably will be something of an 
exaggeration. Our observations upon this point 
are necessarily imperfect ; and when we reflect 
that fifty years ago the country was perfectly 
wild, and inhabited by bears, wolves, and here 
and there a hunter, we shall think it surprising 
that we have any observations at all, even for 



54 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

SUCH a period back. We have an account of 
the Falls, given by Father Hennepin, a French 
missionary, who gives an exaggerate! descrip- 
tion of them, and yet one which is tolerably 
correct. He represents a cascade as falling from 
the Canada side across the other two. He says 
that between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario there 
is a vast and wonderful waterfall ; after speak- 
ing of this, he says there is a third c.iscade at 
the left of the other two, falling from west to 
east, the others falling from south to north. He 
several times alludes to the third cascade, which 
he says was smaller than the other two. Now, 
those who consider that because Father Henne- 
pin gave the height of the Falls at six hundred 
feet, small value is to be attached to his testi- 
mony respecting any part of the country, do 
him injustice. I think it perfectly evident that 
there must have been such a third cascade, fall- 
ing from west to east, as that to which he al- 
ludes. 

"A Danish naturalist, who came in the year 
1758, to this country, and visited the Falls, of 
which Jie has also given us a description, which 
was published in the Gentleman's Magazine in 
1T51, also gives a view of the Falls. In its gen- 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 00 

eral features his description agrees well with that 
of Father Hennepin. He went seventy-three 
years after him, and there was then no third 
cascade. But the point where Father Henne- 
pin had put his cascade, he had marked, and 
says that ' that is the place where the water was 
forced out of its direct course by a prodigious 
rock, which turned the water and obliged it to 
fall across the Falls.' He goes on to say, that 
only a few years before, there had been a down- 
fall of that rock ; which was undoubtedly a part 
of the Table Rock; and after that the cascade 
ceased to flow. Kow, it does not appear whether 
he had ever seen Hennepin's account or not ; he 
only mentions the fact that there had been a 
third cascade : and it is a striking confirmation 
of the accuracy of Father Hennepin's descrip- 
tion. We find these two observers, at an inter- 
val of seventy-three years apart, remarking on 
the very kind ot change which we now remark 
as having taken place within the last fifty years, 
an undermining of the rock, and a falling down 
of the limestone, and a consequent obliteration 
of the fall. Every one who has visited the Falls, 
on inquiring of the guides about the changes 
that have taken place, may have been told that 



56 GUIDE TO i^IAGARA FALLS. 

the American Fa,ll has become more crescent 
shaped than it was thirty years ago, Avhen it 
was nearly straight. The centre has given way, 
and now there is an indentation of nearly thirty 
feet. The Horse Shoe Pall also has been con- 
siderably altered. It is not of so regular a 
crescent shape as formerly, bnt has a more jag- 
ged outline, especially near Goat Island; it has 
less of the horse-shoe shape, from which it 
derives its name, than when it was given. It is 
quite certain that things there are not station- 
ary, and the great question is whether, by this 
action, the whole Falls have been reduced in 
this manner. From representations made by 
other travelers, I was desirous of ascertaining 
whether fresh water remains were found on 
Goat Island, as had been said, for it would be 
striking if on this island there should be a stra- 
tum of twenty-five feet of sand and loam, peb- 
bles and fresh water shells. They were found 
there, and I made a collection of several species 
of shells found on the island, among them were 
ihe phinorl) is, a small valvata, and several other 
'kinds. They were of kinds generally found 
living in the rapids in the river above, or in the 
lake. 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 57 

"In digging a mill-race there, only a few 
years since, there were found a great number of 
shells, and also a tooth of a mastodon, some 
twelve or thirteen feet below the surface. It 
was the common Ohio mastodon, and must have 
been buried beneath these twelve or thirteen 
feet of fresh water deposits, one layer at a time, 
each containing different shells. In answer to 
my question, whether similar shells were ever 
found lower down, the guide said he would take 
me to a place, half a mile below, where the strata 
had been laid open, ^\e found there deposited 
in the rock a small quantity of fresh water 
shells, showing that this old depoition extend- 
ed down to that distance. Here we have proof 
that the river once stood at a higher level and 
in a tranquil state : and there is every appear- 
ance of the rock having been like a solid barrier 
t J hold the waters back in a lake-like state, so that 
they might throw down those fresh water depos- 
its at that height. You will understand this 
better if you consider that if the Falls go on 
receding, no matter at what rate, — an inch, a 
foot, or a yard, a year, — in the course of time 
the whole must recede considerably from its 
present condition. What jjroofs should we have 



58 GUIDE TO NIAGAKA FALLS. 

of this afterward ? You will easily see that if 
the river should cut its way back to a certain 
point, the effect would be to remove the rocky 
barrier, the limestone of the rapids, which has 
been sufficient to pond the river back. But if 
the river cuts its way back, this barrier could 
no longer exist; the channel would be deepen- 
ed, and the deposits existing high and dry upon 
the land would become proof of the recession. 
This kind of proof we have, that the Falls have 
receded three miles from the Whirlpool, the 
limestone having been higher at the Whirlpool 
than the river at the the Falls. It may be well 
to say that the beds all dip to the south, at the 
rate of about twenty-five feet in a mile. In 
seven miles the dip causes a general rise of the 
platform to the north, so that when at the top 
of the cliff you are at a greater height than the 
level of Lake Erie ; and if the Falls were for- 
merly at Queenston, their height was probably 
near double what they now are. 

" Mr. Hall suggested that <it that time the 

whole fall was not at one place, and I think it 

quite likely that such was the case. There is 

reason to believe that one fall was upon the 

quartz ose sand below, and the other on the 



GUIDE TO :N'IAaARA PALLS. 59 

Protean bed. The upper part would ot course 
recede faster than the lower, because it is softer 
as is seen to be the case at Rochester; but the 
limestone, becoming thicker and harder, would 
recede more slowly. There may have been 
several falls, as at Rochester, each one of them 
being less high than at the present, and yet the 
whole being nearly double its present height. 

"I told you that the river fell about one 
hundred feet between the base of the Falls and 
Lewiston, so that the bed slopes at that rat3. 
This slope of the river, and then the upward 
slope of the platform, are the reasons why the 
Falls are now of a less height than formerly ; 
so when we carry ourselves back in imagination 
to the time when the river had not receded so 
far, we have a barrier of limestone much higher. 
The valley in which the river then flowed must 
have been much narrower than its present 
ravine. The distance now from the Canada to 
the American side is about three-quarters of a 
mile, whereas at half a mile below it is only 
half that distance. 

" Farther investigations, by tracing the fresh- 
water deposits lower, will give more precise in- 
formation. You might suppose that if we find 



60 GUIDE TO KIAGAllA FALLS. 

the remains of a mastodon in a fresh-water de- 
posit, so lately laid dry as that near the Village 
of Niagara, and only twelve feet below the sur- 
face, the mastodon has lived in the country at 
a moderate period ; you mi^ht think that a few 
centuries would have been sufficient for the ac- 
cumulation of twelve feet of shelly sandstone 
and limestone, and that it may have been re- 
cently that this mastodon was buried, when 
the barrier was at the Whirlpool, before this 
twelve feet of fluviatile strata were deposited. 
Yet these strata are older than the Whirlpool. 

"Among the objections to the supposition 
that the ravine was cut out by the Niagara, one 
is, that at the place called the Devil's Hole, or 
the Bloody Run, the ravine must have been cut 
by some more powerful cause than by a slight 
stream. 

" But this I regard as no objection at all, for 
on examining the nature of the soil, &c., I am 
convinced that even the small stream which now 
Hows would have been perfectly competent to 
cut out the ravine, and that we need look for 
no more powerful cause. 

" Suppose the Falls once to have been near 
Queenston, they Avould recede differently at 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 61 

different times, — faster when the soft shale was 
was at the base, at other times slowly, when the 
hard sandstone was to be cut through. First 
of all comes the quartzose sandstone, for a cer- 
tain distance ; then the Falls recede slowly, but 
more rapidly when it came to the soft shales ; 
then comes the sandstone again at the base, 
which now extends to the Whirlpool, and here 
the movement was slow. It probably stood for 
ages at the Whirlpool. Then for another pe- 
riod it receded more rapidly, and it is probable 
that for the last mile its recession has been 
comparatively slow, because the Protean group, 
and about twenty feet of sandstone, making 
about fifty feet of hard rock, at the base, were 
to be cut through. It is certain that the move- 
ment now is at a faster rate, as the shale is ex- 
posed.^' 

The above reasoning perfectly coincides with 
the opinion of Dr. D wight, and others who 
have devoted any time to the subject, and 
strangers, as far as the author has been able to 
learn, have come to the same conclusion. 

The following fragment, written in the Re- 
gister of the Point View Garden, at Niagara 
Falls, on Sundnv, August 1, 1817, by Dr. Bax- 



62 GUIDE TO NIAGAR;\. FALLS. 

LEY, of Baltimore, illustrates tlie profound im- 
pressions produced on the mind and heart by 
this most wonderful work of nature : — 

A SABBATH AT NIAGARA. 

Here, near the temple of Almighty God, 

The soul, wrapp'd in limnility, bows down 

In awe and reverence. 'Tis meet that man, 

The creature, beholding the bold displays 

Of power stupendous, wisdom infinite. 

Should look, through nature's grandest witness, up 

To nature's God. And deeming here all time 

A Sabbath, yet on this day appointed 

Holy to Him who rear'd these rocky walls, 

Buttress'd below by tide wash'd massive piles, 

Entablatured with beetling battlements. 

And corniced with a waving wilderness 

Of verdure, — who outspread yon azure roof, 

Now softly mellow' d with ethereal tint, 

Or darken'd by the thunder's messenger, 

Gilded anon by lightning's gleams, or now 

Iladiant with starry hosts, whose mirror' d beams 

Carpet the billowy floor with silvery light, — 

Who raised yon altar, and upon its brow 

Of emerald, in characters of light, 

Inscribed, e'en with his own right hand, " To God ! " 

Where ministering birds, with notes attuned 

To an eternal anthem, hymn his praise, 

And bear on dewy wings a pearly cloud 

Of incense up toward the Almighty's throne, 

Fit worshippers in nature's holiest fane, — 

Who guards the portal of this sacred place 

With ever-heaving sea of snowy foam, 

Whose tempest voice to man presumptuous calls, 

" Thus, and no farther shalt thou go," and points 

To ceaseless whirling tides, the awful 

Maelstrom of Niagara, dread emblem of 

Til' eternal doom of man, vain man, who seeks 



GQIDE TO iN'IAGARA FALLS. 63 

To pass the limit of asign'd command. 
And moral law,— 

E'en on this Sabbath day, 
Here, near God's own great temple, would we bow 
In Immljle praise and prayer; and, while tbe lip 
Rests silent, would the soul its homage give, 
And favor seek : petitioning that in 
The devious path of life so may we move, 
That when these rocks shall melt with fervid heat, 
When the rich garniture of teeming earth 
Shall vanish, leaving no trace of brightness 
Or of beauty to tell that it once was, 
This restless tide no longer flow, and its 
Deep cadence cease, when the blue dome that spans 
The earth shall pale away, and radiant spheres 
No longer shed abroad their hallow'd light ; 
Then may the hope that rests upon His word 
Who ne'er was false to man, who liangs his bow 
Upon the cloud, and spreads it night and day 
Upon his altar's incense, token to man 
Alike of His redeeming power and will, — 
Then may the hope that on His word relies, 
Nurtured by love and rectitude, grow strong 
In trust and prescience of a home " not made 
With hands, eternal in the heavens I " 
August 1, 1847. 



TO NIAGARA. 

Writien at the first sight cf Us FaJls, 1S33, by J. S. Buckingham. 

Hail ! Sovereign of the World of Floods whose majesty 

and might 
First dazzles, — then enraptures, — then o'eraws the 

achin.i^'' sight : 
The pomp of kings and emperors, in every clime and 

zone. 
Grows dim beneath the splendor of thy glorious 

watery throne. 



64 GUIDE TO KIAGARA FALLS. 

No fleets can stop thy progress, — no armies bid thee 

stay, — 
But onward — onward — onward — thy march still holds 

its way ; 
The rising mist that veils thee as thine herald goes before 
And the music that proclaims thee is the thundering 

cataract's roar. 

Thy diadem is an emerald green, of the clearest, purest 

hue. 
Set round with waves of snow-wliite foam and spray 

of feathery dew, 
While tresses of the brightest pearls float o'er thy ample 

sheet, 
And the rainbow lays its gorgeous gems in tribute at 

thy feet. 

Thy reign is of the ancient days, — thy sceptre from on 
high ; 

Thy birth was when the morning stars together sung 
with joy; 

The sun, the moon, and all the orbs that shme upon 
thee now, 

Saw the first wreath of glory which twine 1 thine in- 
fant brow. 

And from that hour to this, in which I gaze upon thy 

stream. 
From age to age, — in winter's frost, or summer's sultry 

beam, — 
By day, by night, — without a pause, — thy waves with 

loud acclaim. 
In ceaseless sounds have still proclaimed the Great 

Eternal Name. 

For whether on thy forest banks the Indian of the 

wood. 
Or, since his days, the red man's foe, on his fatherland 

has stood, — 
Whoe'er has seen thine incense rise, or heard tny 

torrent's roar. 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 65 

Mist liive bant before tlio GjcI of all to worsaip ani 
adore. 

Accept then, O Supremely Great !— O Infinite !— O God ! 
From this primeval altar^tlie green and virgin sod — 
Tlie humble homage that my soul in gratitude would pay 
To thee ! whose shield has guarded me thro' all my 
wandering wa}^ 

For, if the ocean be as naught in the hollow of thy hand, 
And the stars of the bright firmament, in thy balance, 

grains of sand ; 
If Niagara's flood seem-i great, to us who lowly bow, 
(.) Great Creator of the whole ! how passing great art 

thou! 

Yet, tlio' thy power is greater here than finite mind 

may sc:in. 
Still greatei is thy mercy shown to weak dependent man ; 
For iiim thou cloth'st the fertile fields with herbs, and 

fruit, and seed, 
For him the woods, the lakes, supply his daily, hourly 

need. 

Around, on high, — or far or near, — the universal whole 
Proclaim thy glory, as the orbs in their fix'd courses roll. 
And from creation's grateful voice thy hymn ascends 

above. 
While Heaven re-echoes back the chorus, — God is love. 



Recession of the Falls. 
The fall of every rock, in the vicinity of the 
cataract, is an evidence of the trnth of Profes- 
sor Ly ell's remarks. The large rocks, below 
the American and Horse Shoe Falls, have evi- 
dently rolled from the high banks at some time. 



OQ GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

The point of the Horse Shoe Fall, where it 
looks so green, has receded more than a hun- 
dred feet since my recollection. The author 
was an officer in the American army, in the 
war of 1813, well acquainted with the Falls, 
on both sides of the river at that time, and is 
confident the above is correct. This agrees, 
also, with the opinion of strangers, who have 
not visited us for fifteen or twenty years. 
There was a small island, about fifty rods above 
the Horse Shoe Falls, containing nearly two 
acres, called Gull Island, which has every par- 
ticle washed away within five years. 

Health of the Falls. 

k 

No place in the United States can boast of a 
greater degree of uninterrupted health than the 
Falls. The town contains about three thou- 
sand inhabitants. Not an epidemic, not a case 
of cholera, has ever originated here. This is 
attributable, doubtless, in some degree, to the 
rapid current of the river and the pure and 
exhilarating state of the atmosphere. What- 
ever may be the cause, such is the fact, and it 
is acknowlodsfed bv every one. 



GUIDE TO XIAGAR.V FALLS. 6? 

Hotels. 

The Cataract House, and International, are 

considered among the first-class houses in the 

United States. 

Niagara 

Is a corruption of the Indian word " Onyakara," 
supposed to be the Iroquois language, as the Iro- 
quois were the first who dwelt here, as far as we 
know. The meaning of the term is " mighty, 
wonderful, thundering," water. It lies in lati- 
tude 43 degrees 6 minutes north, and longitude 
2 degrees 5 minutes west, from London. 

It is called Niagara Eiver, between the two 
Lakes, Erie and Ontario, a distance of 36 miles. 
When it leaves Ontario Lake, it is then the 
River St. Lawrence, passing the Eapids, Thou- 
sand Islands, Montreal, Quebec, and falls into 
the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 450 miles below 

Quebec. 

Sources of Niagara. 

Lake Superior is the largest body of fresh 

water in the world, 

I 450 miles long. I 109 wide. 800 ft.deep 

Lake Huron. . | 218 " I 1^0 " 500 " 

" Mich. . . I 300 " I 55 " 200 " 

" St. Clair | 40 " | 15 " 80 " 

" Erie . . I 890 " I 05 " 900 " 



68 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

and is 565 feet above the level of the ocean. 
Winnebeg, Winiiebego, with several smaller 
lakes, together with one hundred rivers, 
large and small, pour their waters this way, 
draining a country of more than one hundred 
and fifty thousand square miles, and discharges 
more water, perhaps, into the ocean, than any 
river on the Globe. 

A Disposition of Strangers to Jump over 
the Falls. 

In some instances this is unquestionably 
true, as it has often been remarked to the au- 
thor, " I have a great mind," say they, " to give 
a jump; do you think it would hurt me?" 
The cause is difficult to explain. They are not 
accustomed to stand upon such a giddy emi- 
nence, with the wild world of waters around 
them ; all sense of danger for a moment is lost. 
The grandeur and sublimity of the scene over- 
powers them, and it frequently happens that 
persons the most timid at home are perfectly 
calm and collected here . Space allows us to 
mention but one instance. A young lady 
alighted from her carriage (Canada side), step- 
ped quickly to the edge of the Table Eock, 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. G9 

before it fell, stood upon one foot on the very 
brink, the wind blowing hard at the time from 
the Canada sliore. Her mother screamed. A 
gentleman present made motions to have her 
keep quiet, passing quickly behind her, laid his 
hand firmly upon her shoulder: " Madam,'' 
said he, "are you not unnecesarily exposhig 
yourself to danger ? " " Oh, no ! '■ she replied, 
'' I can jump off here, — fly away like a balloon, 
and it would not hurt me at all " The cause 
is difficult to explain, but such is the fact in 
some instances. 

Niagara Never, Freezes Over. 
But it accumulates more ice than any river 
on the Globe. One-half of the river on the 
Canada, and nearly three-fourths on the Ameri- 
can side, was closed in by ice, caused by the 
river freezing along the shore, and soon after a 
severe storm, thousands of acres of ice came 
tumbling down from the lake above, lodging 
against rocks and other obstructions, forming a 
sate way nearly to the centre of the river, to the 
head of Goat Island, to the bank of the Ameri- 
can Fall, extending over it, and more than one- 
fourth of the wav across. Manv of our citizens 



70 QVLDE TO :MAGAKA. I'ALLS. 

availed themselves of this novelty, to visit 
places where human beings had never before 
been, and perhaps never will be, until the voice 
of the Almighty shall roll back again this flood 
into darkness and void. 

The proprietor of the Cataract House, in 
1855, drove a horse and cutter nearly into the 
centre of the river, to the very verge of the 
American Fall. A daguereotype was taken 
Ice Cones Under the Falls. 

In the winter of 1855, some of them were 
immense ; more than 300 feet at the base, and 
reaching nearly to the top of the American 
Fall. A son of the writer cut his way with a 
hatchet more than IGO feet high ; his head was 
nearly level with the Falls, and he stood there 
until a daguereotype likeness was taken. The 
llapids, the Ice, the Falls, the River, and every- 
thing connected with them, presented one of 
the most grand and sublime spectacles ever 
witnessed. AVhat rendered it more thrillingly 
interesting, was the icicles hanging from the 
cliffs, a hundred feet long. The spray issuing 
from the dark caverns below, like the hot 
breath of some monster of the deep struggling 



GL'IDE TO XIAGARA FALLS. 71 

to be free ; the sun darting his fiery beams, as 
if to melt, at a single glance, this cold and mys- 
terious barrier; the bow of promise smiling 
serenely over these waring elements ; and the 
roar of Niagara is hushed, save a few muttering 
groans issuing from the dark caverns of the 
deep, evincing how terrible will be its power 
when once aroused in the majesty of its wrath, 
which in a few days she bursts these frail bar- 
riers, hurls the chains with which the wars 
bound into the dark chasm below, and Niagara 
was once more free — not a foe in sight, — not an 
enemy in the field ; and the old saying, " what- 
ever we can bind we can conquer " is not true, 
for no power but Omnipotence, and no event 
but dark chaos, sweeping over the world, can 
ever conquer Niagara. 

Ice Bridges Below the Falls. 
This, in latter years, is a frequent occur- 
rence, sometimes extending nearly half a mile 
down and across the river, from the American 
to the Canada shore; and in the centre from 
15 to 30 feet high, caused by ice rolling over 
the Falls, plunging into the deep below, rises 
to the surface, and forms the bridge as above. 



72 GUIDE TO iTIAGARA FALLS. 

But it the river rises, this slender hold that 
bound her to each shore, is broken, and the 
bridge disappears, sometimes m one night, at 
others it lasts until May. 

Three Distinct Falls at Niagara. 
Tlie American is separated from the Centre 
Fall by Luna Island ; they both pour their 
waters to the West ; the Horse Shoe Fall, to the 
North-east. Father Hennepen, who visited the 
Falls in 1G78, says: There is a cascade, near 
the Horse Shoe, which falls from West to East, 
on the Canada side ; but every vestige of the 
last has disappeared. 

The Falls morelmpressiv e than the Sun, 
or Any Heavenly Body. 

Millions gaze upon the Sun, every day, with- 
out the slightest emotion of interest ; but to the 
visitor at the Falls this kind of listless indif- 
ference is impossible. 

Different Places cf Interest. 
No two persons are exactly agreed, which is 
the best, or the most impressive. This depends 
a good deal upon several causes ; nervous tem- 
perament, ill health, and many other circum- 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA PALLS. 73 

stances, may detract materially from the 
overwhelming grandeur of this scene : but the 
visitor will recollect, every point of interest, pro- 
duces a different effect, with a greater or less 
degree of vividness upon the mind. Some are 
warm and enthusiastic admirers of natures 
works, and in their flights of fancy, instantly 
leave the world, and soar away, into the regions 
of boundless space: where the Almighty, en- 
throned in light, and glory, reigns Supreme, 
and uncontrolled, over millions of worlds be- 
sides our own. Others are content to grovel 
along, scarcel}^ ever looking np from Nature, 
to Nature's God. The want of impressiveness, 
is not in the grandeur of the scene, but in the 
mind of the beholder. If the sun shines, the 
interest of the visitor is much enchanced on 
either side. 

The Emotions of the Red Man at the Falls. 
While gazing upon the glories of this be- 
wildering scene, are always calm and sedate, 
and appear holding communion with some Su- 
perior Power, and this, as far as we know, is 
as acceptable service to the Deity, as that, 
vvhich arises from the most guilded temples, 



74 GUIDE TO KIAGARA PALLS. 

sparkling with gold, and ornamented with all 
the ingenuity or art of man. 

Niagara at Night in a Thunder Storm. 

The writer, a few years since, accompanied 
a party of ladies and gentlemen, to the Horse 
Shoe Tower, about one o'clock at night, when 
the most terific thunder storm, burst suddenly 
upon us, that had been witnessed in this vicin- 
ity for many years. The lightning's vivid 
flash, leaping the tail barriers of the clouds, 
darted suddenly to the earth, with a crash, that 
made the world tremble, and Magara, too, felt 
its awful power, and for a moment appeared to 
cease its roar, and was still, afraid, amid the 
roaring elements, her voice could not be heard, 
for when Jehovah speaks, let his works and his 
creatures be silent. And nothing to me was 
ever more awfully grand, and terrific than this 
scene. 

The Greatest Quantity of "Water, Canada 
Side. 

It has been estimated, by scientific gentle- 
men, that nearly ten tons to one, passes over 
the Horse Shoe Fall. And the channel is evi- 
dently becoming deeper, on that side every 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 7o 

year. This is known from the fiict, that rocks 
once under water, on the American side, are 
now entirely bare. 

Rain Bow, Canada Side. 
In the afternoon, from three to five o'clock, 
if the sun shines, there is always, a broad, ex- 
pansive arch to be seen, extending at times, 
from the Horse Shoe, to the American Fall ; 
and this scene, in the opinion of the writer, is 
unequaled by any other. 

Fossels and Shells 
have been found on Goat Island, which demon- 
strate, they were left here by flood, or that the 
waters once flowed over this whole country ; 
but, at what period, is forever overwhelmed, in 
the obscurities of the past. We leave this to 
the Geologists. 

Universal Admiration of the Falls. 
Not in their height, nor in the volocity of 
the Rapids, tlie Rain Bow's brilliant hues, the 
ceaseless thunder of the cataract, the amazing 
quantity of water, that makes this foaming 
and headlong plunge, into the yawning gulf be- 
low; not in either of these, sei)arately, but all 



76 GUIDE TO JsnAGAIlA FALLS. 

combined, that fills tlie mind with awe, majes- 
ty, grandeur, and overwhelming sublimity, that 
can never be expressed; for when the Deity 
rolled those mighty works into being, he vir- 
tually said, I will have no rival on the Globe, 
and there is none. 

Atheism at the Falls- 
We may have been schooled in Infidelity, 
and taught to believe there is no God; but 
during our stay at the Falls, let the individual 
be an Atheist if he can, impossible. 

Under Current of the River. 

On the surface, below the Falls, it runs on 
an average, about six or seven miles j^er hour. 
Below, the sailors say about 30 or 40 feet, it 
runs, at least, 10 or 12 nots. And this is the 
reason, we think, Avhy saw logs, and other bod- 
ies plunging over the Horse Shoe Fall, are not 
seen, until they come up at the Whirlpool ; a 
distance of three miles. 

"Why was it Called Horse Shoe Falls. 

It originally took its name, from its shape, 
but it is far from that appearance now. Large 
rocks, weighing thousands, and perhaps mil- 



GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 77 

lions of tons, have, Avithin a few years, fallen 
from the Horse Shoe Falls, at the point where 
it looked so green-^ and the angle is evidently 
becoming more accnte, apparently, working 
its Avay towards Goat Island, which is very 
perceptable to onr citizens, and strangers, who 
have not visited us for tifteenor twenty years. 
Looking up. 
If the visitor would get a correct idea of 
heights, kt him go below the Falls and look 
up. This is difficult to explain, perhaps the 
mind is less accustomed to compare objects 
with distances from above. Wliatever may be 
the cause, such is the fact. The Earth, to a 
man in a Balloon, appears at a much less dis- 
tance, than when this height is seen from be- 
low. This law holds good everywhere. The 
Falls, when seen from above, do not appear 
more than 50 or 60 feet high ; hence, strangers 
are frequently disappointed. The best place 
to get a correct idea of heights, is at the Cave 
of the Winds, or crossing the Ferry. 

Disappointment to Strangers. 
At first view, this is sometimes the case ; but 
we think the instance is not on record, where 



78 GUIDE TO NIAGARA FALLS. 

the visitor has any mind to appreciate sublimi- 
ty, and overwhehning grandeur, can be disap- 
pointed after a few days at the Falls. 

Looking Steadily at the Horse Shoe Falls. 

Let the visitor look steady for a few mo- 
ments, about half way down the Horse Shoe 
Fall, near the point where it looks so green, 
and it has a very different effect upon the mind. 
The falling flood is more steady than any pow- 
er in our world, a striking emblem of human 
life, how rapidly the generation of men are 
passing away, or like the clock of eternity, 
striking the notes of time. 

Rainbow from the Top of the Tower. 

When the sun shines, it adds much to the 
magnificent grandeur of this scene. It is the 
same sign set in the heavens, painted by the 
same Divine hand, but for different objects. 

Trembling of the Tower. 

This, we think, is more attributable to ima- 
gination, than reality : there may be a slight 
tremor, but it is imperceptable to those ac- 
customed to the place. 



GUIDE TO N^IAGARA FALLS. 79 

Rapids above the Horse Shoe Fall, 

They extend on the Canada side, in their 
wildest fury, about two miles and a half ; but 
on the American side, only three-fourths of a 
mile. Any human being thrown into the rapids, 
if near the centre of the river, is hurried on to 
destruction. 

Accidents to Strangers. 

There are not as many accidents, in propor- 
tion to the number wlio visit tlie Falls, as 
among our citizens; strangers are generally 
more careful and timid, cautious how they ap- 
proach places of apparent or real danger, until 
satisfied of their perfect safety. Some, how- 
ever, have a more fool-hardy adventure in their 
constitutions, venturing out upon places of 
danger, where human beings never ought to go. 

DKOWi^ED, June 8, 1870. — A young man 
named Whittaker, a Student at Deveaux Col- 
lege, was drowned on Saturday afternoon, 
while bathing in the river, below the Whirl- 
pool. He was from Pictsford, N. Y. His body 
has not been found. 



80 GUIDE TO :n'iagara falls. 

I:^rpROMPTu o>f Leavij^g Niagara. 

'Tis hard to leave thee, mighty flood, 
'Tis hard to leave thee now, 
With that thunder in thy depth, 
And glory m thy brow. 

'Tis hard to leave thy great rocks, 
Thy white, dashing foaai. 
To greet the world's wide cares 
Which await around my humble home. 

Mary. 



&4iir ®J.Pi« &mQ wmmBt 



M. L. COMSTOCK & CO., 

248 if 2B0 Main Sireet, 
BUFFALO, N.Y, 



Wholesale and Retail Dealers in 



AND MANUFACTOKERS OF 



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1854. ESTABLISHED 1854. 



ALVAH CHURCH, 
No. 5 Exchange Street, BUFFALO, N. Y. 

xVnd Dealer in BANK N O T E S, of all descriptions, 
BULLION, SPECIE, 

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LSO, PASSAGE TO AND FROM EUROPE. 



1859. Established 1859. 



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1851. ESTABLISHED 1857. 



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Manufacturer & Dealer in 

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BUFFALO, N. Y. 



yOUNQ, JaOCKWOOD ^ JoHN^ON, 



MANUFACTURING 



Stationers, Printers, 



BLANK BOOK MANUFACTURERS, 



209 Main Street. 



BUFFALO, N. Y. 



RAPIDS INDIAN STORE! 

•X-XXX: <3rlBt.:Bl.A.'P 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL EMPORIUM OF 



SITUATED AT THE 



Must JEnd of G-oat Islmmd Bridge^ 

NIAGARA FALLS, N. Y. 



HERE CAN ALWAY8 BE FOUND A FULL SELECTION OP 

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CONSISTING PBINCIPALLY OF 

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All orders promptly filled, and great care taken in the selection 
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